Bogey settles in....

One of my first adventures with any of our service puppies, is a trip down to the barn. In keeping these dogs well rounded, socialzing them in all sorts of situations is important, and I feel that the "big animals" are always a great help. We started with the chickens.. Bogey thought they were fine, but really was more interested in any of the grain that had been spilled over the past few days.

Next, we moved onto the bunny. Actually she is "new" here on the farm too... Sadie heard that she needed a home, and guess where she ended up. It's nice to see "someone" living in the hutch again, but sadly (at least to me) she isn't very nice. Twice she has come after me, so, I don't spend that much time with her. Bogey however, didn't have any troubles with her!!!

 Then it was onto the horses. The "little" ones seems to facinate our new house guest. He just sat and watched them for the longest time. They were far too busy eating to bother to come over and say hello.....

 But, after a bit, Silver did make his way over. At first Bogey wasn't so sure... he kept looking at me for some guidance, and I just told him everything was fine.

 But then, something really caught his eye... "this" he wasn't so sure of....

And as Tonka got closer and closer, Bogey began to have second thoughts about horses... he came right over and sat right beside me. I didn't say anything, until he began barking at Tonka.. and then I simply told him to "hush".....

 I walked over to Tonka and tried to get Bogey to come along. At first, he would have nothing to do with that... Tonk.. being the silly that he is, tried to grab Bogey's leash from me... poor Bogey, I could almost hear him saying.. "no.. don't let him have that!!!"

 but, with a little time, some quiet praise, and just keep myself with a very calm presence.. Bogey finally decided to say hello. All our horses are very used to dogs, and they are very gentle with them.... so, they are great to work with....

Then Tonka got bored with this whole "lesson" and went to work on the grass. Bogey seemed to be asking.."what are you eating"

Course  I have to admit... looking at horse from this angle.. they can seem rather big. so, Bogey.. I'd say your first day on the farm was a success.... but there is much (much) to go....

chapter four...

 The call has come!!! and we are back in puppy raising mode.... say hello to "Bogey"....

He is five and a half months.. began in the Prison puppy partnership program... but NEADS feels a home environment would suit him better just now. Lucky for me... another little golden bundle on the farm...



Let Chapter "four" begin!!!!!

estate auction....

We have some new members of the farm. Twelve little keets. You know how much I like my guinea hens... and I do agree, they can be a "pain" sometimes... but they sure are great watch dogs and tick control. We had found a nest of eggs from one of our hens, and since they really don't make great mothers, we took the eggs and put them in an incubator. Sadly, none of the eggs hatched (something went wrong because they did make a start) and then our hen was killed by the fox... so, when I saw these babies at the feed store... well....

This picture pretty much says it all. We're currently down to three guinea fowl.. free ranging I do take my chances.. but I think it's worth it and if I have to buy new ones each year, so be it.

I heard about this auction from a couple of people. My dear friend Mary sent me an email and an article about the auction and then my Dad gave me a call. I really don't know how I feel about auctions, while I appreciate the opportunity to find treasures like this, I feel very sad that  these items  , which meant something to someone.. are now out for the world to bid on. (by the way... isn't this a beauty)

This particular  auction was all about carriages, sleighs and other horse drawn items. The gentleman that had  owned  them had passed and his family just didn't know what to do with everything... to start  with over 40 carriages and sleighs in various conditions. It had been  his hobby to collect and  restore horse drawn vehicles and this collection had pieces that he had been  working on, other pieces that needed work.. a few that were done... and then the parts to do his projects. 

Wheels, lights, seats... hardware... it was almost overwhelming. The auction was on   Saturday and since I work that day, Ed and I went to preview it all the day before. The more we looked, the more there was.... I almost didn't know where to begin or what we might (or might not) be interested in. Ed thought it would be fun to pick up a carriage or sleigh that was in decent shape, and have a winter restorations project.

There were more sleighs than carriages, and they were in pretty good shape. I sort of wonder if it's because a sleigh probably didn't get as much use as a farm wagon or carriage. And they were beautiful... I had to wonder what they looked like, brand new...I was really fond of this first one, sort of a Currier and Ives look. We decided that if it stayed a fair price, this would be something to bid on. We already have two sleighs that are usable, and one that needs to be restored... but we thought  that we can always sell a sleigh or two.

A couple of carriages caught my eye as well. I would love something like this, so we could take a couple of friends on a Sunday ride. And the whole preview went like that. So, we got a list and marked the ones we liked the best, in order, and decided to see what the bidding did. There were a number of people at the preview.. I couldn't tell if they were horse folks, like us, looking for treasurers or people looking for nice ornaments for the front lawn.

We also had a few of these on the list... once you have a study under carriage a top could be easily made....

It just went on and on... and I sort of felt sadder and sadder as we looked...

They had their "faults" if you will....

But you can't beat craftsmanship........

Or the history they hold.. and sadly, stories that could be told......

Ed went to the auction, he said the crowd was "good".. and for the most part, the prices were fair. However that little sleigh I liked, went into a bidding war between two ladies. The final price on that one... $1300.00... way out of our budget.

But the day proved to be a good one for us. Ed managed to pick up two farm wagons for a very fair price... and they almost usable just as is....

And another neat point... the gentleman that had owned them, left a hand written note on each of these wagons.. telling about their history. Both coming from Maine families and built in the late 1800's. We haven't figured out just how they will be restored.. and I wished I had the opportunity to tell the gentleman that they will be well loved and used as they should be... behind a team.

But maybe, somehow he knows....

the art of horse shoeing....

My first question is.. why would anyone choose to earn a living by placing themselves under the belly of a 1600lb horse, and work with the part of a horse that could kill you? And then, I think... I'm glad they do, because in the world of the horse... "no hoof, means no horse".. so, we consider our farriers one of the family and very special folks indeed.

We actually have two farriers... Dean takes care of Silver, Mocha and Kringle.. and Ben takes over the big boys.. Tonka and Duke. Knowing how to properly do this job is not just a skill.... it's an art. A good shoeing can really make a horse... a bad one, can in some sense---kill it.

thoughts of our Acadia trip in the fall, getting Duke and ourselves ready, has many "sides". One being, Duke is going to have to go back into shoes. With the driving we have been doing, and the driving we will be doing, it's going to cause wear and tear on the hoof... so shoes are a must. Duke hasn't worn shoes since coming to us, but having been an Acadia horse, we know he has worn them before.

Ben spent much of the time "fussing" with Duke's feet and the shoes, getting the fit to be as perfect as possible. Duke, for the record, is in a size 8.. which is a pretty standard size for a draft type horse.

Ben did what is called "hot shoe" fit.. which means he heats the horse shoe and sears it to the hoof. I'm not sure if Duke has been hot shoed before, because he wasn't standing as nicely as I would have liked.

And when the smoke really began to roll, he actually began to tremble. He's a good boy, which is a good thing considering his size. I hope by the end of the summer, he will be back in the routine of shoeing and it will get easier and easier from here. 

Ben has everything he needs on the truck to work the shoes... including a "forge"...  The equipment alone that one needs to have a shoeing business is something all it's own.

Back feet as well as fronts need to be done.

Shoes on...

And now the finishing touches... rounding the nail heads off... getting them trimmed up....

 And the finished product. A nice new pair of shiny shoes.. that soon will be tromping threw the mud.!!! And that wonderful sound they made on the cement walkway, I can't wait to hear it out on the road... Thanks Ben.. see you in six week!!!!!

a soggy Saturday.....

It was with all good intentions that Kelli, Kathleen and I headed to the first NEADS walk a thon to do the walk route and make some money for the service puppies. But as we drove further and further south, the rain that had been predicted was really coming down. Still, there was a pretty good crowd when we arrived and we still planned on doing the walk.

Everyone dressed for the weather.. including Camille. Since I am "service dog puppy-less" I knew that Camille would be happy to step in.

After signing in, visiting with our NEADS friends, we headed out. Kelli had Moxie...

Kathleen had Monty.....

and the area for the walk was beautiful. Even in the rain. But we hadn't gotten very far, and the heaven's opened. It didn't take very long for us to become soaked. I took a look at my buds and said "sorry girls - this isn't for Camille and me"... and Kelli agreed. But Kathleen, ever full of adventure decided to continue.

A few hours later, she and Monty returned. They got a bit lost along the way, but managed to get a good part of the walk done. All in all, I think the walk was quite successful despite the weather. But truly my favorite part was being with good friends... enjoying the service dogs, and having a nice meal on the way home.

I started the woodstove, got into dry clothes and blogged the rest of the night. What a great day!!!!

bye bye Muppet Dog....

It's hard to believe that another turn in date is here again. On Thursday, it was Norton's turn to return to NEADS and go onto his advance training. He came to me as an "older pup, just needing some finish work", but he caught on so quickly, that he was ready to go back. The night before I used him as my demo dog at dog classes. He love obedience work, and if he wasn't headed for service work, he'd be a great obedience/agility dog.

 But I think he's really going to make it in the service dog world. "working" is his thing....I'm going to miss having him on the floor with me. And I know that Camille always appreciates not having to "do" all the work....

We had to get Norton down to NEADS early on Thursday. They had an opening for him to get his hip x-rays done, so I told Dave I would be happy to get him there. My good buddy, Kathleen, got up extra early and drove down with us. The rest of the group came and we all met at our usual time. A group was touring the academy and we found out that Kathleen's Monty was sponsored by them... so we had to get this photo.

We did all our usual check in "stuff" while waiting for Norton to return from the vets. And then it was off to the big city. Rick and Moxie look like city dwellers (NOT)

Norton was still a bit groggy from having his x-rays done, but the vet said he could come with us if we took it slow. Knowing that he was leaving me at the end of the day, I took advantage of this, and we just followed the group, taking pictures and watching them work. Enjoying the last bit of our time together.

The puppies did well in the train station. It's such a good place to work... shiny floors, stairs of all kinds.. people etc. We get a lot done here.

The Maine puppies, soon to change .... Monty will become the "old" dog of the bunch once Norton heads off.... and little Moxie won't be the baby for long....

The day flew by, as I knew it would.. and it was time to hand the leash over to Dave and kiss my muppet dog goodbye. I didn't have him as long as the others, but I certainly got attached to him... you can't help it.. get attached and give away a piece of your heart when they leave. But that's the joy of puppy raising.

So, Norton heads to "college" and I wait again for his progress reports and the call that another puppy is coming to the farm.... I'll let you know when...